Ammonius (; ) was a Christian monk involved in the power struggle between the bishop

Cyril of Alexandria Cyril of Alexandria (; or ⲡⲓ̀ⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ Ⲕⲓⲣⲓⲗⲗⲟⲥ; 376–444) was the Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444. He was enthroned when the city was at the height of its influence and power within the Roman Empire ...

and the ''

Praefectus augustalis During the Roman Empire, the governor of Roman Egypt ''(praefectus Aegypti)'' was a prefect who administered the Roman province of Egypt with the delegated authority ''( imperium)'' of the emperor. Egypt was established as a Roman province in co ...

Orestes In Greek mythology, Orestes or Orestis (; ) was the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, and the brother of Electra and Iphigenia. He was also known by the patronymic Agamemnonides (), meaning "son of Agamemnon." He is the subject of several ...

in the 5th century.

Life

Ammonius was part of a group of supporters of the bishop Cyril, composed of both

Parabalani The Parabalani (Late Latin ''wikt:parabalani, parabalānī'', "persons who risk their lives as nurses", from ) or wikt:parabolani, Parabolani (from or ) were the members of a brotherhood, who in early Christianity voluntarily undertook the care of ...

and Nitrian

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

s. Whether he was a member of the Parabalani or the Nitrian monks in support of Cyril during his early reign is not made clear. He, along with his fellow monks, confronted the Prefect riding in his open chariot in the streets of Alexandria. During the confrontation, he hurled a stone towards

, which struck him in the head. The cut spilled enough blood to cover his face, nearly killing him. The monks then fled the scene from the prefect's guards and his supporters. He did not manage to flee in time and was captured by the guards and tortured to death. To show appreciation, Cyril seized his body and had his funeral at the church. During the proceedings, Cyril proclaimed him a martyr and saint and renamed him Saint Thaumasius (the Wonderful). This title was soon stripped by Cyril after fellow Christians who were embarrassed by his actions began to question this decision.

Samuel Sharpe Samuel Sharpe, or Sharp (1801 – 23 May 1832), also known as Sam Sharpe, was an enslaved Jamaican who was the leader of the widespread 1831–32 Baptist War slave rebellion (also known as the Christmas Rebellion) in Jamaica. He was procla ...

, "The history of Egypt, from the earliest times till the conquest by the Arabs, A, Volume 2", 284

Cultural references

Ammonius is portrayed by the actor

Ashraf Barhom Ashraf Barhom (, ; born January 8, 1979) is an actor from Tarshiha, in Galilee, Israel. He has starred in '' The Kingdom'', ''Paradise Now'', '' By Any Means'' and ''The Syrian Bride''. Early life Barhom grew up in an Arab Christian family in I ...

in the 2009 film ''Agora''. In the movie, he is shown as a Parabalani monk who is a supporter of both Cyril and

Theophilus Theophilus is a male given name with a range of alternative spellings. Its origin is the Greek word Θεόφιλος from θεός (''theós'', "God") and φιλία (''philía'', "love or affection") can be translated as "Love of God" or "Friend ...

before him. His confrontation with Orestes and his act of stone-throwing is portrayed in the film under different circumstances.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ammonius (Monk) 5th-century Egyptian people 5th-century Byzantine monks